The things you do to me
by Sagakure
Summary: Some years have passed, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married... Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. KanamexYuuki, ZeroxYuuki. Short series.
1. Chapter 1

_**Title: The things you do to me.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warning: **__Angst. And spoilers to various chapters, especially 35.  
__(Please don't kill me, Yuuki fans? XD; I really like her too, and normally don't think she'd ever do this like that, (I don't think Zero would either, he's too honest for that) but... the evil plot-bunny demanded it, and there are distinct times where she does pretty cruel things to Kaname without noticing that she's hurting him, so...)  
_

_My ideal ship for VK would be if the trio could end up together in the manga, so that they can all be happy instead of one of the three inevitably being alone if Yuuki only picks one of them. So please no hating on either pairing in the reviews. ^^;  
_

_**Summary:**__ A few years after the academy, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married… Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. Drama, short series._

_**Pairings:** Kaname x Yuuki, Zero x Yuuki._

* * *

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.

"Hmmm…"

He sighed softly and snuggled closer to her, trying to bury his face against her side so that the morning sun would stop its relentless assault on his eyes. He had them tight shut, but the light still managed to go through his eyelids. That sensitivity was one of the rare downsides of his pure vampire blood.

The sunlight was flooding the bedroom, coming in through the huge glass panes that ran along the whole wall of the apartment they had been living in since they got married.

Yuuki liked the sun, even though it also burned for her. She preferred to have her eyes sting rather than give up on such human delights as waking up bathed in the sunlight. She may be a vampire now, but she refused to leave those things behind.

Kaname on the other hand had never lived as a human, and was particularly sensitive to the light even for a pureblood. But Yuuki wanted it, so he just resigned himself and buried his head in the pillows groaning, seeking to escape the light that flooded him when she got up and removed what little shield her body offered to him against the offending sunrays. His silky dark hair was spilled messily over the sheets and his face, but it made a poor protection.

"Can't we at least get curtains?" They had that talk many times before, and he didn't really have much hope of convincing her. It was more of a soft plea coming from the depths of the pillow he currently sank his face in to block the light.

Yuuki chuckled, finding his predicament entertaining and his pleas endearing –it was perhaps her vampire sadistic streak that made it appear so amusing, or perhaps the dejected little voice in which Kaname spoke from beneath the pile of pillows and cushions at the head of the bed, in which he was burrowing deeper.

She stretched like a cat, her long dark hair cascading down her back and tickling her bare legs. She had gone to sleep wearing one of Kaname's shirts as she often did. It was a tailored dress shirt, now reduced to a rumpled mess that the dry cleaning service would have to try to salvage later. Kaname never said anything of the way she destroyed his shirts one after the other. At his eyes, anything he owned was hers to do as she pleased anyway.

She strolled through the apartment shielding her eyes from the light bathing the whole place, and walked into the kitchen, her bare feet silent on the warmed tiles. She opened the fridge and started rummaging through, looking for something for breakfast while humming.

Their apartment occupied a whole floor of a modern building, and the outer walls were tinted glass, of the type that hid the contents from outside eyes but was perfectly transparent from the inside.

Around the time they had gotten married, Kaname had offered to let her choose their home anywhere she liked. He had slightly faltered when she picked that apartment and he saw the glass walls, but had indulged her, as always.

To make things worse, the bedroom just _had_ to face the East. Kaname wondered what time it was to try to figure out how many more hours of torture he might have to endure before the sun moved high enough in the sky and became less direct and more bearable. Not that he would actually stay in bed, tempting as it may be with how tired he felt at the moment. He would have to get up soon anyway, as Yuuki insisted on still keeping a human schedule and he had taken to matching his to her, as hard as it was to get up in human hours and go to the council or to the office in the morning rather than early evening.

He let out a new little groan and burrowed further into the pillows and cushions. Suddenly, he froze.

There was a strange scent, one that he knew well enough from having smelled it before elsewhere. One that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he hoped desperately that he was terribly wrong and that his senses were deceiving him. He pressed his face to the mattress and inhaled deeper. _Damn_. The scent was faint, as if someone had tried to remove it, but it was there, no doubt about it.

He got up suddenly, not feeling like being in bed anymore. Yuuki inadvertently chose that moment to waltz back into the room with a box of strawberry jam-filled _croissants_. "They're from yesterday, but I didn't feel like calling for fresh ones. Do you want some?" She plopped herself down on the bed and tugged at his sleeve with a slightly buttery hand, pulling him down so he'd sit back down on the bed.

Kaname avoided her gaze, not trusting himself at the moment. He knew his eyes were probably reddened, and didn't want to give his thoughts away.

"No thank you, my love. I don't feel hungry."

She pouted and pulled her legs up onto the bed, biting a mouthful of a croissant, quickly setting the box down to put her other hand beneath her chin and avoid too many crumbs falling on the bed.

Kaname was still facing away when he spoke. "I think I'll be leaving earlier than planned today. Ichijou was telling me they were terribly busy with council paperwork, and I thought I might give them a hand before going to work."

"Really? I thought you'd only leave much later."

He burned inside. It was a lie, and he couldn't stand the idea of lying to Yuuki.

Technically, he didn't really need to go to work to begin with, the Kuran corporation ran itself fine without him and none of his employes expected a pureblood to actually take care of such lowly matters on a regular basis, so the vampire council made a much more believable excuse for him to need to be away for several hours.

"I probably won't be back until early morning tomorrow. Will you be okay all by yourself?" Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her carefully for her answer.

"Sure! Don't worry about that!" She cheerfully took another bite of her croissant, a glint of something in her eyes that he caught just before it faded, as quickly as it had appeared.

She leaned in closer, and he slid his fingers through her hair absentmindedly, twirling locks of it around his fingers with a vaguely possessive gesture and then letting it slip away freely before repeating the movement. "Did you have something planned for today, Yuuki?"

"Nope, I was just going to stay at home."

"Is that so? Then perhaps I can change my schedule so that I come home sooner, I don't want you to be lonely all by yourself."

"Oh, no! Actually, I'll be with Yori, so don't worry!"

"Yori? I thought you didn't have anything planned."

She backpedaled quickly, but without giving away the slightest hesitation or waver in her voice as she did.

"Yeah, but she'll be coming over. We just didn't plan to go anywhere, but we were going to be working on some stuff for the academy. Boring stuff, you know, you won't be missing anything."

Her voice was perfectly neutral, but her eyes had that same odd glint again.

He watched the little changes on her face carefully, without letting anything away. _A pureblood's perfect control… when did his innocent Yuuki become this skilled?_

Kaname averted his gaze, feeling the red in his eyes return along with a tight lump in his throat.

He stood up and walked up to the large walk-in closet, reaching for the first suit in front of him without much care for which it was.

"In that case, I'll be going soon. Don't push yourself too hard, and give my regards to Yori."

"I will! You don't want to eat something first?"

She got up and approached the closet still munching on a bit of a _croissant_.

He hesitated, already half dressed, and finished buttoning his shirt slowly before coming back into the room and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I would love to, but that might take a while and make me late…" He teased in a slightly husky voice by her ear, before running his lips down her neck, parting them and letting her feel the tips of his fangs extend and poke against the silky skin right over the thicker veins on her bite area.

She smacked him on the arm playfully, giggling. "I meant actual food!"

He didn't let go, and was holding her tight against his chest, his face buried in her hair. "Kaname?"

He was breathing in her hair, relishing her scent and trying to keep under control the lump in his throat and that painful squeezing in his heart. He inhaled deeper, trying to forget the scent he had picked up on the bed.

"Kaname? You're extra clingy today. Is there something wrong?"

He slackened his hold around her, and gave her an irresistible smile, one of those that made her heart melt each time. "It's just that when I think of how lovely you are, it gets really difficult to go to a boring council meeting."

She giggled again, pushing him off gently, saying he was incorrigible. He kissed her forehead, making sure to avoid her gaze so she wouldn't see the turmoil that was picking up again in his eyes.

Even as a child Yuuki had always been good at noticing when he was forcing himself to smile. If she got one look at his eyes, she would know. And he couldn't risk that, at least not yet. He had to make sure first before he acted.

It killed him inside to have to lie to her, but if he was wrong and it did turn out that she wasn't deceiving him after all, then he would confess all his suspicions to her and deeply apologize. She could always punish him however she wanted, if she turned out to be innocent.

He slid on his jacket, grabbed his business attaché-case and left after kissing her softly on the lips. She waved from the door and closed it as he turned around to go for the elevator.

Her kiss left a bitter taste in his mouth; he couldn't help but wonder if those lips had been tasted by someone else. As soon as the elevator was far enough for him to be sure she wouldn't hear, he pulled out his cell-phone.

Hanabusa Aidou sat at the head of a long table, presiding a meeting that should expand even more the reach of the pharmaceutics branch of the Aidou Corporation.

He had little to no interest in business, but the development of an improved blood tablet was a pet project of his, and since he had succeeded his father as the head of the clan, he had no choice but take care of their company anyway. His natural genius came in handy to make up for the lack of interest, and he was a very successful businessman despite the initial difficulty to get used to things. Cain also helped, working as a consultant so that he could spend part of his time helping Aidou, while the rest of the time was spent at his main job under Kaname's orders.

Sitting to Aidou's right, Cain was starting to explain to their associates a main point of the new project, when the compact cell phone in the pocket of his cousin's pants started buzzing furiously. Aidou sighed in annoyance. _He had expressly told his secretary not to forward any calls during that meeting!_

He was going to just press the button to refuse the call when curiosity made him check who was calling him. It was not a forwarded call, it was Kaname calling him directly on his cell-phone. Aidou nearly jumped on his chair, and quickly accepted the call, making wild gestures for all the people at the table to be silent.

Kaname went straight to the point as soon as he heard the blond pick up.

"Aidou, where's your wife?"

"Kaname-sama?"

"Yes? So, where?"

Aidou gulped. Kaname's voice was snappy and he sounded like he was in one of _those_ moods. Aidou knew better than wait for an explanation for the question, and simply answered quickly.

"Sayori is in a Pedagogy Congress in Sweden until Tuesday, why? Is there something wrong?"

"…"

"Kaname-sama?"

"Thank you Aidou. Nothing is wrong."

The phone switched off.

_Nothing is wrong, huh!_

Aidou had lived enough years near Kaname to know better than believe such words when the pureblood's voice had such strain in it. He could count on the fingers of one hand how many times he had heard that powerful voice sounding so far from its normal controlled composure.

The blond's cell-phone vibrated again.

"Aidou?"

"Kaname-sama?"

"Don't tell Yuuki you told me."

_Oh shit. _Whatever was going on was worse than he imagined.

"As you wish, Kaname-sama."

"Thank you, Aidou."

The voice was sincere but sounded terribly tired, and the call ended again.

Aidou's hand plopped down to his side and he stared at the wall, not caring for the repeated questions of his business associates. Cain eyed him worriedly, getting the idea that something was very wrong, despite the fact that they kept their phones' volume too low for other vampire's hearing to pick up what was being said.

Kaname keeping secrets from Yuuki was as unthinkable as anything could get.

Kaname exited the elevator and strode across the parking complex of their building in a mix of blind fury and desperate worry. _Yuuki had lied to him. Openly at that. _

The thought made him even more sad than angry, he realized. Perhaps because he held himself to such an ideal for her that the realization that she didn't do the same in return was even more of a slap in the face, especially considering the adoration and blind trust he had for her.

"Seiren!"

His bodyguard appeared next to him in a second, dressed in classic business attire completed by an elegant Chinese-style fitting top beneath the jacket of her Chanel _tailleur_.

"Take the primary car, leave from the main entrance, make it seem like it's me leaving."

"As you wish, my lord."

He gave his orders as he walked to the second car. Ever perfectly composed, Seiren complied without letting show any sign that she perceived the obvious strain in his voice.

Seiren had a double of his car keys. She pulled out of the parking spot, saluted Kaname as she drove by, then rolled up the dark windows and drove out the private parking gate, imitating his driving style to perfection. He got in the other car, pulled out and drove deeper into the parking lot, parking again in an inconspicuous spot behind a line of cars, from which he could remain unseen but watch the whole area from the entry of the parking lot to the elevators.

_He had to make sure._

.

.

(tbc)

* * *

_When I'm not writing sappy stories, I'm writing depressing ones. XD;;_

_**Note about their cell phones:** The idea of vampires keeping their phone volume turned down so that other vampires won't be able to eavesdrop like they might be able to do with a human volume level comes from Blackened Wing's wonderful fics. :D :hearts:_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Title: The things you do to me.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warning: **__Angst. And spoilers to various chapters, especially 35.  
__(Please don't kill me, Yuuki fans? XD; I really like her too, and normally don't think she'd ever do this like that, (I don't think Zero would either, he's too honest for that) but... the evil plot-bunny demanded it, and there are distinct times where she does pretty cruel things to Kaname without noticing that she's hurting him, so...)  
_

_My ideal ship for VK would be if the trio could end up together in the manga, so that they can all be happy instead of one of the three inevitably being alone if Yuuki only picks one of them. So please no hating on either pairing in the reviews. ^^;  
_

_**Summary:**__ A few years after the academy, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married… Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. Drama, short series._

_**Pairings:** Kaname x Yuuki, Zero x Yuuki._

* * *

.

.

Yuuki peered out one of the living room windows, her chin resting on her arms folded on the windowsill, her eyes squeezing almost shut to block out the excess of light.

She waited until she saw the familiar car drive out and turn around the corner, then she bounced off and picked up the cordless phone from the table, her fingers running over the number pad, quickly dialing the number she knew by heart.

"Zero? He's gone for the whole day."

Her voice, as well as Zero's on the other end of the line were a mix of eagerness mitigated by an inevitable amount of guilt. But it was a guilty pleasure, one that was impossible to give up, no matter how both of them felt bad about it.

Zero was the one who felt especially guilty. He had always been a responsible person, and prone to worry more. He wasn't sure if the reason Yuuki didn't find it as wrong was because she was too innocent to fully realize the extent of their betrayal or what, but he didn't want to delve into those thoughts too much. He was constantly torn between the guilt of betraying Kaname's trust and the fact he absolutely couldn't possibly resist Yuuki.

Years before, when she had turned – or better saying, reverted back to her true self– he had tried to reject her at first, but in the end, he loved her too much to turn his back on her. And so, nowadays he was very much always waiting for her to call him.

His morals ate at him, not only because of the notion of adultery, but because Kaname was the reason he was alive.  
He would have turned to level E long ago, if not for Kaname giving him his blood regularly, since the time they were still in the academy. Even now that the war was over and Kaname had absolutely no need for Zero to be a shield for Yuuki or anything, he still went on helping Zero. Kaname didn't want Yuuki to have to give her own blood and Zero respected his choice, but the hunter had originally expected the pureblood to abandon him as soon as he didn't need him anymore, and Kaname's continuing support touched him much more than if it had been just something out of necessity back when he needed Zero to help him against Rido. Unknowingly, Kaname made the guilt much worse.  
Even now, '_for the sake of Yuuki's friendship for you'_, as Kaname would say, Zero and him would have meetings once a month, where the pureblood would freely let him drink his blood, so that Zero would remain stable and not risk declining in any way.  
The hunter felt deeply indebted to him, and had often tried to break up with Yuuki, but it just wasn't possible in the end. He loved her, and if that love was going to damn him, then so be it.

Zero drove into the parking structure slowly, looking around just in case, then, seeing that both cars were gone, he parked in one of the Kurans' spots.

From the spot farther away where Kaname was hiding, masking his aura with a perfection that belied the boiling rage inside him, he watched Zero exit the car, a small bundle of delicate flowers in his hand, and then stride down to the area with the elevators, pressing the button of one of them and waiting for it. The hunter looked around himself, ever so careful, and Kaname hid deeper behind the wheel of his car, the shadows swallowing him as if they were born to protect and hide him, the creature of the night that he was.

The pureblood had an irrepressible urge to run out and stop the silver haired man, at any cost, just do anything to stop him from going upstairs.

He was torn between the inevitable need to prevent the hunter from reaching Yuuki, and the desperate surge of denial telling him that maybe, just maybe, it was just a friendly meeting? But friendly meetings didn't involve lies, nor did they involve the unmistakable scent in the bed, which he had immediately recognized as being the hunter's natural scent. He had given his blood to him too many times to not remember that scent from each time his face was close to the other's hair while Zero plundered his neck. And if Yuuki and Zero had wanted to meet as friends, he wouldn't have objected. The fact that they needed to hide it from him was proof in itself.

Kaname was still pondering what to do when Zero's phone rang. The hunter was too far for Kaname to hear the voice of the person calling him, even with his pureblood hearing, but he could hear Zero's voice perfectly fine.

"Yuuki? Yeah, I just got here. I'm on my way."

Kaname's heart sank. He stayed as still as he could, listening while controlling his aura so he wouldn't accidentally reveal himself too early.

Zero was looking around while he waited for the elevator, still talking to Yuuki, but apparently scanning the surroundings for anyone just in case.

"No, it's fine, I'm telling you, I just cancelled my stuff for today. Hey, it's no problem, we have to enjoy those little moments, huh? It's not everyday he spends so much time away and we can be together without worrying."

Kaname clenched his teeth so hard he felt his jaw nearly bend under the strain. He had to force his muscles to slacken a little, fearing that otherwise he might draw blood and attract Zero's attention with the unmistakable scent. Under the effect of the anger, his fangs had lengthened fully and the tips of the rest of his teeth had reverted to the razor-sharp pointed appearance that was their true form.

Zero entered the elevator and the doors closed after him while he went on babbling with Yuuki on the phone, laughing at something she said, the crystalline sound echoing in the parking lot and grating in Kaname's ears.

The pureblood leaned his forehead against the wheel, a maelstrom of unpleasant emotions swirling inside him. He tried to fight it, to get it back under control, but the pain was overriding even the anger itself. A single tear ran out of one of his gleaming blood-red eyes and rolled down his cheek, falling silently on his leg. He could feel a train passing somewhere far in a tunnel deeper underground, and for a moment he thought that was what was causing the vibrations he felt, until he realized his hands were actually trembling.

Some time later, Yuuki and Zero were lazying around contentedly in each other's arms, enjoying the intimacy in bed, the sheets loosely wrapped around their naked bodies.

Yuuki picked up one of the flowers he had brought, and that she had put in a vase by the bed. She brought it up to her nose and nuzzled the petals. Zero couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight. No matter how much time passed, she was ever so adorable. Even in such a situation, he couldn't help but not see her as guilty.

Perhaps Yuuki simply _loved_, regardless of loyalties and obligations and such restraining things that the heart can't always control. After all, Zero mused, it was not her fault if her heart was not able to pick between them and she continued to go for the two of them, was it? He certainly couldn't help loving her too.

"We have plenty of time, even to clean up everything and remove the scent afterwards. Want a strawberry croissant?" She pushed towards him the box she had offered Kaname earlier.

He broke a little chunk of one with a hand and munched on it, licking the jam off his fingertips while running his clean hand in a caress through her hair, pulling it together behind her shoulders to create the vague illusion that her hair was short again, like it was when she was human. Yuuki unknowingly broke the illusion, grinning at him with her obvious fangs showing in her delicate mouth. "So, did you find parking without trouble?"

"Actually yes. I figured that since you said he'd only be back tomorrow I didn't have to worry or park outside, so as soon as I saw the two empty spots I just parked in the one closest to the elevators." Zero admitted a bit embarrassed.

"Wait, what?"

Her expression had suddenly dropped to a quite worried look. Zero's smile fell too in response. "What's wrong?"

"Both spots were empty?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh no. Oh no, no! He knows."

For someone who normally juggled between those matters while attempting to not focus much on the implications, the panic on Yuuki's face was quite real.

"What?"

"Only one car drove out this morning. Something is very wrong!"

With anyone else, this could mean a number of things, but this was Kaname they were talking about. It couldn't be random. Yuuki had already had a nagging feeling that something was off that morning, and the other car suddenly disappearing made things very clear.

"Yuuki! You're not telling me that… he…"

Zero had gone from relaxed and close to dozing off to fully awake and scanning the whole area for danger in a fraction of a second.

"He could be right behind the door as we speak. Oh no, no…"

"Yuuki, would he get violent?" The unspoken question, '_Is he going to kill us?'_

"No… Maybe. He might." In her fear, she wasn't sure of anything, but she wasn't really concerned about herself at all –the idea of Kaname hurting her seemed completely impossible– but she was pretty sure that there were good chances Kaname might kill Zero.

"Zero, you have to get out of here, now! And not through the front door either! Forget about your car, I'll get you a new one. Come on, you have to disappear!"

"Yuuki… Yuuki, no." He put a tired hand down on her arm as she was hell bent on ushering him out of bed and towards a hypothetical safety that was unlikely to be easily achieved if an irate pureblood was hot on their trail.

"It's bad enough as it is, I'm not going to pull the coward lover running out through the window or something. I'll just wait here and face him."

"No! Are you crazy? The very reason why we've always been so secretive is because…because… Zero, what if he kills you?"

"If he does, I've deserved it, Yuuki. However you look at it, from the very beginning, he should have killed me."

"You can't be serious!"

"Besides, you told me so often before how he's not like the other vampires and how he's so different and all. Well, I guess we'll be finding out."

"Zero… You know how possessive he is. I love him completely, I really do, but I'm really scared of what he'll do to you."

Zero didn't say anything, clenching and unclenching his hands nervously, and both stared back and forth at the door and at each other, as if time suspended itself in waiting.

Down in the parking structure, Kaname was still sitting in his car, face buried in his arms, fists clenched tightly to the point that his nails were digging into his flesh.

He was desperately trying to hold back the tears that kept coming and rolling down his cheeks. The lapel of his shirt was wet and growing cold. Despite how hard he was trying to regain his composure, his body was shaking slightly, from the utter misery and the anger he felt both at the betrayal and at his own weakness at the present moment.

Normally, adultery was dealt with in the vampire society differently depending on the rank of the ones involved. In case of a mixed relationship, the one of higher rank had the right – and at the eyes of their peers, almost the moral obligation – to salvage his or her honor by demanding the adulterous one to be put to death.

Among purebloods, the males were considered to have higher standing than the females, an ancient custom having survived through the ages. If a female pureblood betrayed her life mate, he could repudiate her and demand her imprisonment for as long as she lived. She would not be harmed, due to her rank, but she would live in confinement, whether the male chose to repudiate her or not. And even if the male were to kill her, depending on his political influence and power the council might still close their eyes on it due to the adultery, rather than carry out the incarceration that would normally be the penalty for a pureblood killing another vampire of equal rank.

A female pureblood's affair with a vampire of lower rank was particularly unforgivable, because of the danger of contamination of the bloodline. Those were the cases treated with the most severity.

Of course, if both parties chose to close their eyes on such matters, it didn't have to be brought to justice, as no one would dare to pry into the matters of purebloods, but if such a thing was made public, it would be a scandal and a dangerous tarnishing of the honor of the offended party who had ignored the question.

Kaname's options were simple, he only had to say a word to the council and Yuuki would be imprisoned for life. Zero wouldn't even live to see it happen, especially considering the rank difference. It didn't matter that the council was currently led –with difficulty—by the kind-hearted Takuma; such traditions were age-old and would be carried automatically by the vampire society.

But Kaname wasn't even thinking of whatever the vampire laws or traditions may say of the situation or any of the such. He was too caught up in his feelings to think very clearly at the moment.

He never expected this. Back at the academy, for years he had deeply feared that she might abandon him one day, but he never expected to be stabbed in the back once he had let down his guard completely. They were _married! _If she wasn't sure which of them she wanted, surely she could have warned him first? He had given her plenty of time!

Sorrow and fury were battling fiercely inside him.

"Oh, Yuuki…Yuuki…" He wrapped his arms around his chest and dug his fingers into the sides of his jacket.

"Why is it that every time I bare my heart for you, you tear it out and throw it at my face?"

He couldn't help but remember the day he had first told the human Yuuki that he loved her, and she sounded almost like she didn't believe him, refusing his embrace and demanding her questions to be answered immediately, completely ignoring how he may feel or just how hurt he was.

_Come to think of that, the hunter had tagged along that day too. _

Maybe he should have seen it all coming a long time ago, but he was too blinded by his unwavering trust in her.

He wanted to go upstairs and tear Zero to pieces. But he couldn't, because he was deadly afraid of going and finding them together. He was deadly afraid they'd both look at him like _he_ was the outsider and Yuuki would tell him to get out.

Realistically speaking, he didn't think it was a likely outcome, but he didn't want to know what would be her reaction. _If she could do this to him, surely she could discard him as well, couldn't she?_ The mere possibility horrified him. He clenched his teeth harder, heedless of the tip of his extended fangs painfully stabbing into the gums on the lower side of his jaw.

This was not something he had ever planned for, not something he had ever thought could possibly happen. He wasn't prepared, had no idea how to deal with it, and, ashamed as he may be to admit it, he was scared, dead scared of losing her.

He wouldn't go upstairs, because doing so would make it official that he knew, and it would destroy everything. He desperately loved her and needed her, but he didn't know how he could possibly face her without her reading everything on his face right away and realizing that he knew.

A part of his mind idly wondered if Yuuki would be terribly sad if Kiryuu suffered a_ 'mysterious accident' _–he was a hunter after all… something could always happen – while another part of it wandered off far enough to painfully wish they had cleaned the bed better so he would never have found out. He choked on a sob, feeling utterly pathetic both because of having been deceived so easily and for so long, and because of the current direction his thoughts were taking.

Upstairs, the two lovers were fidgeting nervously, more and more worried as the hours passed.

"He's taking his time." Zero was on edge, but he tried to appear calm, not wanting to worry Yuuki too much.

"Maybe... maybe he's waiting to make sure he finds us together when he comes in. That's what he'd find, if you didn't mention the empty parking spot earlier."

"It would make sense. Although he could be just playing with our nerves, you know. Psychological warfare and all that." Zero talked more to break the silence than to really say something.

Both had showered quickly and gotten dressed, feeling that if Kaname barged in it would be even worse if he found them both smelling of each other and…other things.

"Yuuki… you don't suppose he could mask his aura well enough to enter without us noticing, do you?"

Yuuki glanced at Zero with an added layer of worry on her face at that idea.

"Like this?" She virtually disappeared. Well, not really completely, because he could still see her perfectly well, sitting on the couch next to him, but the_ 'feeling' _of her, that presence that made him know with his eyes closed that she was there, was gone completely. Zero's eyes widened in horror.

Yuuki let her aura return just as fast. "Sorry… But you know, Kaname is many times stronger than me. He probably can do it even better." She looked at her feet, fidgeting nervously, not sure of what to say.

_Purebloods! _Zero shuddered and focused on his hands, cracking his fingers nervously. Yuuki was more and more agitated too.

"I…I can't take this wait anymore, Zero." She got up from the couch, but Zero grabbed onto her wrist quickly.

"Yuuki, don't go outside alone. If he's really angry, it's best if he sees me first."

"No! He'll kill you for sure then!"

"We can do it together. We can face him together and try to appease him." _More like I'll do all I can to cover up for you and hope he only kills me._

Zero didn't intend to fight Kaname. This would be falling much lower than he was willing to go. He would only fight if Kaname tried to hurt Yuuki, but otherwise, he'd let the pureblood do as he pleased. He felt it was the very least he could do.

Whether Yuuki sensed the hunter's thoughts or not, she shot him a wary glace and pried his hand off her wrist gently. "I wasn't going to go outside. I'm going to call the security company that has the GPS tracker in our cars. It's to use in case of theft, but they should be able to tell us where the cars are."

"What, you think he won't be downstairs?"

"Well… It's a mad hope, but it's better than waiting here panicking. In the odd chance we're panicking for nothing…" She didn't really believe a word she said, but she was too nervous to go on sitting and waiting any further. At least, this would occupy her for a few moments and let her mind escape the problem for now.

After the necessary formalities to ensure the person calling was the real owner, the company agent on the phone could inform Yuuki that one of the cars –the primary one, that she had seen exiting the building, and that she guessed was driven not by Kaname but by Seiren – was parked at the office normally, and that the other was in an undetermined location, which they were currently trying to identify, if she had the time to wait.

"Sure, I can hold." She paced around the room nervously, exchanging glances with Zero while she waited. And then, the voice got back to her with the location of the car, and Yuuki's expression changed completely.

"WHAT?"

Zero's eyes widened at the sudden change of tone and the look on her face. Yuuki hit the speaker phone button so he could hear too.

"I realize it's unsettling, ma'am, and I wouldn't want to alarm you if I wasn't sure. But I checked if it could be a malfunction and there's no doubt, the car really was at the bottom of the sea when we lost the signal. Ma'am…? Ma'am, can you hear me?"

The phone exploded into countless chunks of plastic under the surge of power that Yuuki accidentally let wash through it when she lost control.

"Oh Zero, what did I do?"

.

.

(tbc)

* * *

_The laws about adultery in the vampire society are totally made up by me of course, it's not canon. ;)_

_Though we know from canon info that a pureblood can and will be imprisoned in case of a grave crime (Rido was, possibly because of what he did to Kaname), and we can speculate also that it looks like maybe a male pureblood has more status: I have a theory that the males may have the right to decide on things such as their fiancee being imprisoned for no good reason other than the male wanting to keep her away form the world (It's all just theory, but it seems plausible that this would be the reason why Shizuka grew up in a cell... Rido's choice. Though this could be because he's a Kuran, and thus higher then other purebloods.), so the males having a higher rank than the females idea came from there, and from medieval beliefs usually going that way, and since vampires are all full of ancient-sounding traditions, it sounded possible._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Title: The things you do to me.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warning: **__Angst. And spoilers to various chapters, especially 35.  
__(Please don't kill me, Yuuki fans? XD; I really like her too, and normally don't think she'd ever do this like that, (I don't think Zero would either, he's too honest for that) but... the evil plot-bunny demanded it, and there are distinct times where she does pretty cruel things to Kaname without noticing that she's hurting him, so...)  
_

_My ideal ship for VK would be if the trio could end up together in the manga, so that they can all be happy instead of one of the three inevitably being alone if Yuuki only picks one of them. So please no hating on either pairing in the reviews. ^^;  
_

_**Summary:**__ A few years after the academy, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married… Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. Drama, short series._

_**Pairings:** Kaname x Yuuki, Zero x Yuuki._

* * *

.

.

Zero's eyes widened at the sudden change of tone and the horrified look on Yuuki's face. She hit the speaker phone button so he could hear too.

"_I realize it's unsettling, ma'am, and I wouldn't want to alarm you if I wasn't sure. But I checked if it could be a malfunction and there's no doubt, the car really was at the bottom of the sea when we lost the signal. Ma'am…? Ma'am, can you hear me?"_

The phone exploded into countless chunks of plastic under the surge of power that Yuuki accidentally let wash through it when she lost control.

"Oh Zero, what did I do?"

Kaname's normal route from the apartment to work -or even to the council- didn't go anywhere near the seaside cliffs. And purebloods had such fast reflexes that it made car accidents extremely unlikely if not completely impossible. There was no way that it could possibly not be related to the situation at hand.  
Those thoughts crossed the hunter's mind as fast as they had crossed Yuuki's when she heard where the car was.

"Call him! Call his personal phone!"

She fetched her cell phone and quickly dialed Kaname's number. A digital-sounding voice chimed in. "We are sorry, but this number cannot be reached at the moment. Your contact is either out of range or-" Horrified by the confirmation of her dread, Yuuki flung the little machine away from her, not caring at this point if she broke a second phone. It survived but landed on the couch with the call still running, the robotic voice repeating the message on and on, barely audible from where they stood, but still ominous.

Yuuki was hugging her own chest with tears burning in her eyes, and Zero - who had been standing next to her when she called and heard the automated message just as clearly- had an anguished expression.  
That was Kaname's private number, and only Yuuki and a few select people knew it. It was _always_ on while he was away, in case she ever needed to call him.

"You don't think that he…that he really…" She sobbed and covered her mouth instinctively, face flushed by the tears.

"Can a pureblood really die from that?"

"It's Kaname we're talking about. If he wanted to kill himself, you know he'd make sure to succeed! He might have done something else to himself, other than drive off the cliff! Oh, no, no!" She broke down crying harder, and he hugged her to his chest, running his hands through her hair instinctively, not knowing what to do or to say to comfort her.

Zero's own cell phone ringing suddenly startled them both.

The hunter had an urge to follow Yuuki's example and throw it across the room too, but instead picked up the call nervously. He didn't have caller ID.

"Kiryuu?"

"Aidou? What are you doing calling me?"

The aristocrat's voice was off, and for a moment Zero had the strange thought that it sounded kind of like Aidou had been crying.  
Other than that, it was icy, much colder than it normally was when he spoke to the hunter, and had a clear tone of urgency.

"Akatsuki and I were trying to get through to Yuuki, but without success. The home phone isn't working and her cell-phone seems to be busy. Say, you wouldn't _happen to know_ where she is, would you?"

Zero faltered, but passed his phone to Yuuki.

"A-Aidou-senpai?"

Aidou kind of expected that. He'd called the hunter precisely because he both feared and hoped that by doing so he'd find Yuuki.  
He didn't sound much more friendly to her than to the hunter; the sound of the blond's voice reminded her of how he used to be back at the beginning of school, long before she turned back into a vampire and he warmed up to her. It was perhaps even colder at the moment than it had been then.

He went straight to the point, almost sounding snappy regardless of her higher rank.

"Yuuki. Well, I don't know what you're doing and I don't want to know, but you might want to drop by the hospital. I'll give you the address."

Zero drove her to the hospital, and Yuuki cried all along. He was surprised to find out that he kind of felt like crying too, on top of feeling terribly guilty.  
And he was really worried for Yuuki. For Kaname too of course, because of the circumstances, but his priority would always be Yuuki.

Over the years, he had often wondered if she was living an illusion, fooling herself into believing that it was okay to have the two of them and lead this double life. He was afraid she did so innocently, the way a child wants something so badly that she may not realize fully the consequences her acts could have.

Sure, she knew it was dangerous and that they had to be careful, but he often found himself wondering if Yuuki had fully considered the results of them being found out, if it ever did happen. He was afraid she might have been refusing to look at things that way, and that it might all be hitting her in a single blow now.

For him, the guilt had been there all along. For her, it was an inevitable thing in the background, but she completely buried her head in the sand and ignored the reality of it all. She loved them both too much to conform to having to pick only one, but she was also too soft-hearted to live a double life without remorse; hiding from reality and not looking at the possible consequences was the only way to keep going forward without sinking into the guilt. But it was all hitting her full-force now and she sobbed on the car seat next to him, deadly afraid for Kaname and crumbling in guilt at being the cause of it all.

Of one thing Zero was sure, she was not evil in any way. He loved her with all his heart, but he wasn't blind. Especially with the predisposition he had against purebloods, if he had ever suspected that she may be evil, not even his love for her would have made him stay. He was sure that she didn't realize the consequences of her acts, or how they may hurt other's feelings, in particular Kaname's.

Perhaps it was because she had lived her whole life with the idea that Kaname was this invincible force that would always be by her side as if he was indestructible. She noticed right away when she hurt Zero, because she had seen him at his very lowest, completely broken after he was turned by Shizuka, and she knew how hard it had been for him to even learn to live normally again, so she could quickly spot the slightest sign of hurt coming from him. But because of Kaname's attempts to give her all his support and protect her from anything, the pureblood had always only ever shown himself to her under his best light, strong, reliable, always there for her and rarely ever allowing himself to show her if he was hurt, assuming he had to always be infallible and dependable for her.

Zero wondered if perhaps that was why she had always been rougher with Kaname, not noticing when she hurt him, even when it was clear even to Zero. In a way, perhaps Zero understood Kaname even more than Yuuki herself did, when it came to some things.

Perhaps that childish side of her had never come to realize the power she had over Kaname, and the pain she could unknowingly inflict on him by loving the two of them when she had claimed to have chosen him.

Or perhaps, he was just deluding himself and it was her pureblood nature after all. The vampire nature at its most concentrate, urging one to seize that which they desire, regardless of the consequences for others. Zero winced at the idea, never comfortable when his mind strayed towards thoughts of Yuuki's true nature and how it might affect who she was and whether or not she was the exact same person she had been as a human.

But then, perhaps it was also his own vampire nature that lead him to seize what he wanted and keep coming back for her even when he knew well that it was wrong, even when he burned in utter guilt at the knowledge that Kaname kept him alive with his blood, and he repaid him by betraying him and stealing the only thing Kaname truly cared for, Yuuki's heart.

He winced at the idea, a renewed wave of self-loathing rushing through him and bringing him to the brink of tears.

Once they got to the hospital, they were discreetly ushered towards a private wing –vampire owned, and completely cut off from the rest of the hospital— where they had a normal ER area for vampires of various ranks, and a much more secluded separate area for the rare cases of patients from high nobility, and - even more rare- purebloods.

The doctor, a respectable-looking old vampire, deferentially escorted Yuuki while explaining that it wasn't everyday that they needed to use that area, but that they had to have one just in case, because it would have been unacceptable to put someone like Kaname Kuran in a mixed ER with patients of lower station. The pureblood had an intensive care unit all for himself.

Zero followed them all along, regardless of the fact that the doctor pointedly ignored him as if he either was a nuisance or didn't exist at all, and regardless of the odd looks he received from the staff - along with shocked whispers of _'A level D!'_ and other less flattering terms_.  
_He didn't enter Kaname's room though, feeling it wouldn't be right, and just stood outside using his vampire hearing to pay attention to what the medic went on telling Yuuki about Kaname's condition, as they walked in.

Yuuki got one look and covered her mouth in shock as soon as she entered the room. Kaname was terribly pale on the bed, apparently unconscious, a number of beeping machines attached to him. There was some form of breathing contraption over his mouth and nose.

Yuuki approached, taking in the sight, renewed tears burning her eyes and making her vision all blurry. She only half-listened to what the doctor was saying.  
"He only survived because he is a pureblood. A piece of the car wreckage actually pierced his chest and tore right through his heart. He would have been killed instantly if he was anything but a pureblood. As it is, he was stuck in the car and nearly drowned before he was rescued, but he survived that too, naturally."_ Purebloods don't die of drowning, after all. _Yuuki sobbed, remembering the common expression that said that they mostly just died of broken hearts.

The doctor was visibly nervous, torn between his duty of informing her of her husband's condition, and the fact that he felt like he was doing something unforgivable by invading the privacy of a pureblood when they were shaken enough to show their tears. Yuuki couldn't care less if someone saw her crying at that moment though, and she ignored the doctor's worried glances.  
He went on explaining that Kaname's condition was still grave but stable, his blood flowing with the aid of a machine until his body could mend enough for his heart to be able to support him. Kaname's pureblood healing was picking up, mending the wounds little by little, but it was much slower because of the large amount of blood he had lost.

From a medical point of view, the old vampire wanted to suggest that her blood would highly help, but she was also a pureblood, and therefore even the slightest mention of her blood being spilled would have been a crime according to their laws. The words would have to remain unspoken unless she offered first, so he just went on explaining the patient's condition in more detail.

She continued crying, not really registering his words and not replying. The doctor took the clue to exit the room, excusing himself and leaving her with Kaname and his other two visitors, which Yuuki was too shaken to have fully registered at that point.

She stood next to the bed, her body shaken by sobs, barely aware of the presence of Aidou standing, glaring at her from across the bed. Cain was sitting on a chair next to his cousin, eyeing him warily as if he was waiting to intervene in case Aidou said something out of place. Yuuki was a pureblood after all. However clear the situation may be to the two of them, it concerned Kaname only, and they had no right to decide for him and go against Yuuki.

Aidou's mouth was usually too fast for the two cousins' own good, though.

"Smooth move, bringing the ex-human here!" The blond gestured to the open door with a nod, in the direction from which he could feel Zero standing around awkwardly outside. Yuuki jolted at the sound of his voice, and Cain had a look of horror on his face before hissing in a low voice "Hanabusa! Kaname-sama might hear."

"He should! And besides, it's clear that he already knows!"

"Not now! Not in his condition! Are you stupid?"

Aidou's fury died down into worry at the idea that his intervention could be negative to Kaname. He couldn't help the anger that he felt at the inevitable cause of the pureblood's current predicament, but he knew there wasn't much he could do other than offer his unconditional support to Kaname as always. They would just have to wait and see what the pureblood actually wanted to do.

Cain and Aidou had been worrying about Kaname throughout the morning, ever since he had called Aidou. They tried calling back, but since he wasn't answering his phone they had eventually decided to go check on him. Not finding him at his office or at the vampire council, they drove to his apartment, arriving right on time to spot him leaving the parking lot, driving a lot faster than he normally already did. They had a bad feeling and decided to follow him around for a bit, which turned out to be a very good idea since he drove straight off a cliff right before their horrified eyes.

The two cousins had immediatly called a vampire emergency number, and dove into the water in a frenzied panic to tear the car wreckage apart and pull Kaname out while they waited for the ambulance to arrive.  
Aidou's hands were bandaged tightly where he had very much torn the flesh right off his bones while trying to pry the wreck open faster to free the pureblood.

The blond felt like those had been the longest and most painful minutes of his life, as he held the bloodied form of their beloved leader in his arms, knowing his heart wasn't beating, hugging the unconscious Kaname to his chest, crying unabashedly throughout the whole wait on the shore, then all the way to the hospital and until they finally could be sure that Kaname would be fine. Cain was afraid for the pureblood too, but he was less vocal about it than his passionate younger cousin.

The two had sat on folding chairs in the corridor of the ER until the surgeons came out of the room to tell them that Kaname would live. It was a given since he was a pureblood, but it was so terribly painful for them to see him that way regardless.

Only when he heard that Kaname would be fine, had Aidou finally accepted to let someone take care of his hands.

Somehow, Yuuki knew.

Not only that both of the cousins were aware that it was her fault that Kaname was hurt and _why_ -vampires could be extremely perceptive- but from their presence there and Aidou's wounds, she also knew that they had most likely been the ones who pulled him out of the water. She owed them more than she could put in words, and was trying to work her way around the lump in her throat when a choked little noise came from the bed, instantly getting the attention of the three and interrupting anything else. From outside in the corridor, Zero sensed it too, and resisted the urge to peek into the room, focusing as well as he could on the sounds and feelings of the others to know what was going on instead.

Kaname was stirring slightly. He tried to move, but winced in pain. His chest felt like it was on fire and the taste of his own blood in his mouth was strangely unsettling regardless of how many times he had tasted it in his life.

The pureblood's eyelids fluttered open, before he squeezed them tightly with a pained look. Reaching with his mind rather than sight, he recognized the people present around his bed and whispered. "Aidou, the light please."

The blond was positively beaming, the smile on his face contrasting with the tears that were welling up in his eyes again. He had been so mortally afraid that he wouldn't get to hear the pureblood's voice again.

"Right away, Kaname-sama!" He rolled down the button that regulated the level of the lights in the room, and Kaname opened his eyes sluggishly, the softer lights being less offending to his tired vision.

Yuuki was standing inches from his bed, tears streaming down her flushed face. Her eyes were tight shut, shame coloring her features. She didn't dare meet his eyes.

Kaname glanced at Aidou and Cain through slightly glazed eyes, but he didn't have to say anything, they understood immediately that he needed privacy, and made for the corridor, their supportive gazes meeting his grateful one as they left.

The door closed and the couple inside stayed silent for a bit, Yuuki's crying and the little mechanical beeps of the machines attached to Kaname being the only thing disturbing the stillness of the room.  
Yuuki sobbed softly with her eyes still squeezed tightly. Kaname pulled off the device on his face, clenching his teeth hard to stand the pain of raising his arm. He didn't really need the apparatus for breathing and found it inconvenient for speaking. He let it drop next to him as his arm also weakly fell back onto the bed. His head felt cloudly, and he was shocked to find that he was dizzy just from the pain of such a simple movement.

Yuuki tried to find the right words, but to her surprise, Kaname spoke first.

"Yuuki… I'm sorry…"

Those were definitely not the words she had been expecting. The dumbfounded expression on her face made it very clear, and she couldn't help but let out a "Huh…?"

Kaname was looking at her with an expression filled with longing and pain, but that also looked…contrite?

His voice was weakened, so different from the powerful, compelling tone it normally had. He whispered, sounding slightly out of things "I wasn't really trying to kill myself. I just… I thought… that if something happened, it would interrupt… whatever it was that you two might be doing. I couldn't think of anything properly. I just wanted… so badly to interrupt it. Is that selfish of me…?"

"Oh, Kaname!" Yuuki couldn't hold anymore, and crumbled down sobbing harder, burying her face against his left hand that lay limp on the bed.

She felt a small movement next to her, quickly followed by Kaname's body stiffening in pain. She quickly raised her head to see that he was straining himself trying to reach with his other hand to caress her head in a comforting gesture. She quickly grabbed his hand and pushed it back down carefully, holding it on the bed, tears streaming down her face as she bent over him begging him not to move so he wouldn't make his wounds worse, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Yuuki had not known the meaning of true guilt until that day; it burned in her more fiercely than ever, as she tried to gently shush Kaname in hopes that getting him to rest would help his body mend faster.

But he had no intention of resting just yet. He had an important matter to take care of, and it was one that for him took complete precedence over the state of his body.

"Yuuki, I need to speak to Kiryuu. Could you leave the room for just a moment?"

She stared at his pained face with bleary eyes. She was consumed with guilt, but she couldn't help the surge of worry. "Please Kaname, please… it's my fault… it's all my fault… you won't kill him, will you?"

The nervous way with which she nearly stuttered the question was so outlandish in the context that it brought a tinge of a smile to his eyes despite the situation. He might have laughed if he didn't hurt so much, both from the pain in his body and in his heart.

He tried to reassure her on that at least. "It's flattering that you think me able to do that in my condition, but currently my heart can't even beat without one of those machines. Zero is perfectly safe, my dear one." She looked so flustered that he unexpectedly chuckled softly, before clenching his teeth from the unforeseen amount of pain that such a simple thing caused. When he caught his breath, he whispered "Please?"

Yuuki stared at her feet, her fingers tracing patterns on Kaname's hand on the bed. She didn't feel she had the right to refuse him something now, and he did have a point – at the current moment he was the one who might technically be endangered by Zero's presence in the room, if not for the fact that the regular intake of his blood should have helped the hunter grow a lot more resistant to bloodlust.

Yuuki nodded softly, unsure of what to say, and tried to make herself more presentable by wiping the tears in her eyes as she exited the room.

She didn't have to call the hunter. Zero somehow knew, either because he heard or simply because he just _knew_.  
He walked into the room hesitantly, closing the door again and taking in the striking sight of Kaname looking so broken on that bed. He approached him slowly – not by fear but because he didn't know how he could possibly face the pureblood.

Kaname's head was swimming, a dizzy haze making it harder and harder to concentrate. He wondered if he would stay conscious long. He didn't have a moment to lose.

"Kiryuu... We once talked of our feelings for Yuuki… have yours changed over the years? Do you still love her as much?"

Zero stood by the bed looking forlorn, unable to blank out the feeling of self-hatred telling him that he was an abject monster. But he owed Kaname sincere answers, at the very least. He held onto the side of the bed while he answered, eyes focused on the ground because he too felt too guilty to meet Kaname's gaze. "Nothing changed. I love her with all that I am, more than anything."

"And as such… do you intend to continue…" The pureblood paused, looking away. "…_visiting_ her?" Kaname's voice was strained, nearly breaking with pain and anger, but still somewhat composed despite his state.

"Kuran… Huh, Kaname, I… I…" Zero did look up then, shocked by the question; he was at loss to what the pureblood might be expecting him to reply, or how he should explain himself.

Kaname didn't abandon the question, "Well?"

A myriad of possible outcomes had been playing in Zero's mind from the moment they had left to go to the hospital, but none of them involved Kaname asking him that type of question. Zero was at loss as to what to say, because he was just as much at loss as to what to do of everything.  
Looking back, the hunter had been lost for a while now. His mind told him that what Yuuki and him were doing was unforgivable, but his heart was just as incapable of resisting as hers, pulling them back together despite everything.

If he swore to Kaname that he would leave Yuuki alone, he knew he would break that promise sooner or later.  
And he was tired of lies, tired of betrayals and of hating himself even more than he already naturally did.

So he simply gave Kaname the answer that was the most pure truth, instead of one dictated by what his mind told him he should try and do.

"I'm… sorry, I'm so sorry, Kaname. I love her with my whole being. You have to kill me. Kill me or so help me I'll keep going after your wife until the day I die. I can't help it, I love her too much to give up, regardless of anything you may do!"

Telling the truth was even harder than telling a promise that was bound to turn into a lie, but at least by telling the truth he wouldn't have the remorse eating at him more than it already did. Zero had tears in his eyes as he admitted the unspeakable truth.

Kaname's chest was aching in an agonizing manner, but it wasn't because of his wounds. He hadn't expected to hear anything else, and yet, it still hurt so terribly much. He wanted to make sure of the hunter's feelings, but the knowledge of their inexorability also made so much more real Kaname's fear that Yuuki might just leave him for Zero.

He breathed shallowly, pain obvious on his face, both from his wounds and from the much worse pain he had been feeling since he found out that morning about the betrayal.

And yet, aside from that inevitable fear and pain, the hunter's confession brought relief as well, and a powerful determination letting Kaname know what he had to do.

The pureblood's face was terribly pale and he could swear the room was rocking as if they were in a ship at sea, but he knew it was his perceptions that were off. He forced himself to breath in and out slowly until he managed to push back the nausea before speaking.

"If… if you had said it was a casual affair, I swear no amount of wounds in this world would have stopped me from getting up from this bed to crush you right here and right now." The affair being meaningful made things more frightening for Kaname himself, but it reassured the pureblood that at least Yuuki wasn't being used.

Zero just stared back, surprised but understanding what Kaname meant. He would have felt the same in his position.

Kaname coughed softly, clutching at his chest with a hand as if it might make the pain of the coughing lessen. Zero was looking at him worriedly. "Kaname… should I call the doctor?"

"No… I want to talk to Yuuki alone."

"...Are you sure it's the best time…?"

The pureblood's eyebrows creased, but he didn't bother replying, instead focusing on trying to pull together his strength and stay conscious.

Zero went silent, surveying Kaname for a moment. The pureblood looked like he might pass out anytime, and much as Zero felt he had no right to get in Kaname's way, he wasn't sure that talk should take place in such a moment, both because of what might happen to Kaname if he kept pushing himself, and –to a lesser extent— because he couldn't help but fear that the pureblood might do something rash if he took decisions in that state. But as Zero hesitated on leaving or not, Kaname dug his nails onto the mattress, bracing himself to try and get up, paying no heed to the IV tubes and various other things attached to his arms and chest.

Forgetting his previous hesitation to even look at the pureblood, Zero rushed to grab onto Kaname's shoulders and push him back down onto the bed so he wouldn't accidentally tear off the lifelines linking him to the machines. "Kaname, what do you think you're doing?" The hunter didn't dare speak any louder than a barely audible whisper by fear of having the whole hospital come running in, but there was no way he was going to let Kaname get up from that bed in that state.

"If you don't leave, you force me to get up to go talk to Yuuki." The pureblood was breathless but there was clear authority and strength in his voice, shaking as it may currently be.

Zero didn't think he could possibly feel anymore deeply ashamed of his acts and of the whole situation than he already was, but he felt yet an additional layer of self-loathing hit him brutally when the sudden movement to restrain the pureblood and the proximity of his body made the scent of Kaname's blood fully hit him, irresistible and enticing, still seeping fresh from the wounds and into the bandages wrapped around Kaname's body.

A shudder of desire for that blood ran through the hunter, utterly disgusting him of himself and of his own nature.

Zero didn't _need_ blood at the moment, their last meeting was less than two weeks ago and Kaname's blood was powerful enough that the hunter should still last a good two or three weeks until he'd need more.

But he was so used to the scent of Kaname's pure blood and the anticipation of its intoxicating taste that his instincts were taking over. His body reacted automatically, fangs lengthening with hunger at the proximity.

.

.

* * *

_Cliffhanger again! Sorry. XD; But I have to make the wait between chapters a bit more entertaining. ;D_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Title: The things you do to me.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warning: **__Angst. And spoilers to various chapters, especially 35.  
__(Please don't kill me, Yuuki fans? XD; I really like her too, and normally don't think she'd ever do this like that, (I don't think Zero would either, he's too honest for that) but... the evil plot-bunny demanded it, and there are distinct times where she does pretty cruel things to Kaname without noticing that she's hurting him, so...)  
_

_My ideal ship for VK would be if the trio could end up together in the manga, so that they can all be happy instead of one of the three inevitably being alone if Yuuki only picks one of them. So please no hating on either pairing in the reviews. ^^;  
_

_**Summary:**__ A few years after the academy, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married… Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. Drama, short series._

_**Pairings:** Kaname x Yuuki, Zero x Yuuki._

* * *

.

.

"_If you don't leave, you force me to get up to go talk to Yuuki." Kaname was breathless but there was clear authority and strength in his voice, shaking as it may currently be._

_Zero didn't think he could possibly feel anymore deeply ashamed of his acts and of the whole situation than he already was, but he felt yet an additional layer of self-loathing hit him brutally when the sudden movement to restrain the pureblood and the proximity of his body made the scent of Kaname's blood fully hit him, irresistible and enticing, still seeping fresh from the wounds and into the bandages wrapped around Kaname's body._

_A shudder of desire for that blood ran through the hunter, utterly disgusting him of himself and of his own nature._

_Zero didn't need blood at the moment, their last meeting was less than two weeks ago and Kaname's blood was powerful enough that the hunter should still last a good two or three weeks until he'd need more._

_But he was so used to the scent of Kaname's pure blood and the anticipation of its intoxicating taste that his instincts were taking over. His body reacted automatically, fangs lengthening with hunger at the proximity._

Zero tried to focus on the guilt, on anything he could use to try and force his primal instincts to let go and stop whispering absolutely despicable suggestions in his mind. He loathed above all else the vampire nature in him, whispering that the pureblood was wounded and helpless and wouldn't be able to defend himself. The instinctive voice that told him that Kaname wouldn't call for help either, pride getting in the way or some other reason that the vampire in Zero didn't quite understand.

The hunter choked a sob of disgust at the nearly impossible to resist urge he had to just sink his fangs on the unprotected neck just inches beneath him and forget about what may happen after that.

He had to get away from Kaname before the pureblood noticed just how low he had fallen. Kaname already had enough reasons to look down on him without him giving him another one, especially in a moment like that. _Unforgivable! Despicable and unforgivable! _

The hunter pushed back, stepping away from the bed with his body tense, sucking in an anguished breath and trying to force his muscles to comply and put more distance between him and the otherwise soon-to-be prey. Zero tried to compose himself, to look like he had merely been hesitating out of worry, which was also true, but it shamed him that the bloodlust played such a colossal part in his reluctance to leave the room. He mustered all his will, making an effort normally impossible for an ex-human and forcing himself to snap out of it before speaking. "I…I'll go, but are you sure it's the right time for you to see her again?"

"The decision of whether it's the case or not is not yours to make, Kiryuu." Kaname hissed as threateningly as he could in his state.

More softly, the pureblood added "And you should leave this room before you do something I might not be able to hide from the council."

Zero's eyes had been squeezed tightly, in an attempt to hide the gleaming red of bloodlust that had seeped into them. He opened them wide now, surprise hitting him.

"You knew? That I…I… wanted to bite you…"

Zero had turned pale then flushed in shame.

"The hunger in your aura is too obvious to miss, especially for me." The pureblood's voice was soft but strained, on the verge of breaking from the pain that was tearing through his body ever since he had tried to get up. "If you bit me here and now, I don't know if even I would be able to conceal the scandal and protect you from the council."

"Wh…Kaname, why would you want to do such a thing?" _I betrayed you. I took from you the very only thing you cared for, and yet you would protect me? If I attacked you even?_

The pureblood's glazed eyes took on a tinge of surprise at the question. In between catching his breath, Kaname explained, tiredly "I would have thought you knew me better than that, after all these years. I _have_ to protect you. …Because of Yuuki."

The words left a bitter taste in the pureblood's mouth, but they were the inexorable truth. It was the same reason why he had been baring his neck for Zero to slake his hunger on regularly ever since the academy days, despite how much submitting his body as the prey for an ex-human went brutally against every instinct in his nature.

Kaname made such a vivid painting of broken beauty on that bed that it was almost breathtaking, both because of the craving for his blood that Zero felt and because the hunter was absolutely taken aback by the pain on the purebloods' face when he spoke – pain not merely from his body, but from the utter despair coiling inside him.

A thick, heavy drop of liquid fell softly onto Kaname's chest, followed by another and another, leaving small round marks on the hospital gown the pureblood was wearing. Zero was leaning over him, tears rolling down his face and falling one after the other on Kaname's chest.

The hunter wanted to apologize, he wanted so badly to fix everything up, but he felt he had no right to say anything. _No words he could say would ever repair what he had done._

Zero buried his face into his own hands, his shoulders shaken by soft sobs, not even finding room to feel ashamed anymore of spilling his tears that way in front of the pureblood.

"Ka…Kaname, you have to kill me. It's the only way, and it's just what I deserve anyway. Perhaps… perhaps I should have died long ago, instead of putting it off and clinging to a life I never deserved in the first place. I only made it all worse for everybody…" Misery racked through his body as the hunter stood shaking near the bed.

"I can't let go of her, Kaname. I love her more than my life. I don't want to be alive without her… that's why… that's why…"

Kaname had been watching him intently. He wanted to hate the hunter, and he did resent him considerably, both for the betrayal and above all for laying his hands on her, on _his_ Yuuki.

But no matter how hurt he was, he couldn't bring himself to hate Zero.

Perhaps it was because regardless of the hunter's often infuriating attitude - especially in the past- Kaname had often felt bad for him, a certain empathy possibly born of the fact that other than for Yuuki, both Kaname and Zero were very much alone in the world, having had their families taken from them, indirectly by the same enemy.

But more likely, it was because Kaname knew exactly what Zero was talking about - he wouldn't be able to live without Yuuki either. Letting go of her was not only impossible for him, but would be his very death.

So once more, the hunter and him had the exact same feelings, and he understood Zero's pain very well. He was still too hurt and too angry to go as far as wonder how things could have been if the situation had been reversed, but the truth was that he would probably have done the same thing Zero did. No obligation in this world would have made him give up on Yuuki, no matter the cost for his soul and his conscience.

Zero may in theory owe him his life and his sanity, but the gift the pureblood did of his blood was never meant as a debt. It was offered freely, because Yuuki cared for Zero. So at Kaname's eyes, Zero didn't owe him anything.

The pureblood was still angry however, and the feelings raging inside him weren't helping either: A part of him told him that the hunter was not completely to blame for something that was inevitable at the face of their feelings for her, but that simple idea was so terribly insulting for his abused pride that rather than mellowing him it made him slightly angrier, not just at the situation but at the fact that his heart could manage to feel bad for the person who had been deceiving him. And yet, anger or not, the strange feeling of out-of-place empathy still remained.

Kaname had trouble sorting his thoughts through the dizzy haze in his mind, the pain and the anger mixing together and making it all a complete mess, but furious as he may still be at the hunter, he didn't feel it would be right to just send him away like that. Zero was finally being sincere with him after all, and he felt he had to do the same, much as his pride and the terrible hurt from the betrayal would probably prevent him from opening up as much as the other was currently doing. But perhaps a little gesture wouldn't be too unforgivable of a surrender.

Zero was still holding the side of Kaname's bed, tears rolling down his face, when he felt a soft contact on his hand. He opened his eyes and was startled to find Kaname's hand over his own for a brief moment.

A strange flash of understanding passed between them as their eyes met, and then the pureblood's gaze darkened before he removed his hand, looking away and speaking in a tired voice that wanted itself harsher than it was "Whether I kill you later or not will depend on other factors on which I haven't decided yet. But if you really are so remorseful, I ask you that you finally leave me alone and have Yuuki come in."

He had pushed himself too far already for that one gesture of reassurance, he couldn't go any farther. He felt he was already too open, stretched too thin with what was left of his heart threatening to tear apart if he even tried to go any further. Even if in truth he didn't quite mean the words he just said – he knew he couldn't kill the hunter, not if Yuuki felt for him what Zero clearly felt for her. No matter what she ever did to Kaname, the pureblood wouldn't be able to take her happiness from her.

But there was one last thing he had to do, something that would decide it all. He couldn't allow himself to lose focus before that.

He added in a somber tone, more for himself than for the hunter "There is one thing I must do that simply can't wait."

The worry in Zero's face intensified further as he considered what the pureblood might have to do that involved Yuuki and required such urgency that he couldn't even wait to be in a less dire state.

Zero's hesitation and Kaname's own torn pride were becoming more and more unbearable and the pureblood added more forcefully "I told you to leave, Kiryuu! It's Yuuki I _have_ to see!"

Beyond his worry that Kaname might make his wounds worse, Zero had a new thread of fear developing suddenly. But, no, surely it was impossible, right?

"Kaname… it's all my fault, you know…Yuuki, she… please…"

The pureblood interrupted him quickly. "… I hope you're not about to ask me not to hurt Yuuki, or I might actually manage to get even angrier at you than I already am."

Zero couldn't help a rueful little smile showing on his face despite the worrisome sight of Kaname's gleaming fangs extended, clearly visible between his lips parted breathlessly, and when the pureblood all but snarled at the hunter despite the agonizing pain holding him on the bed.

Zero knew Kaname would never purposefully hurt Yuuki.

Although he was worried about what he might tell her, and how Yuuki might take it. And yet, he also knew that if there was someone who didn't have the right to get in the middle, it was him. He had gone much too far already, and knew his acts were unforgivable. He couldn't on top of that dare to meddle in their settling down –or not— the situation.

And both were purebloods on top of being husband and wife; even if Zero had actually had a right to interfere, he simply stood no chance to part a fight between them if such a thing were to happen. He would just have to wait and see.

He nodded, unsure of what to tell Kaname, and stepped away from the bed at last.

The door opened silently, and Zero tapped a gentle hand on Yuuki's shoulder. She had been staring at the ground, lost in thoughts, perhaps trying to avoid Aidou's disapproving gaze. She was leaning against the wall next to the door of Kaname's room, while Cain and Aidou were in front of her across the corridor.  
Cain was standing with his hands in his pockets, and his younger cousin was sitting with a leg crossed and his arms folded across his chest, on one of the chairs that had been apparently set there because none of them was willing to go wait in the waiting room set up a bit farther away. Yuuki just stood, ignoring the cushioned _fauteuil_ that the staff had respectfully brought for her.

That area of the hospital was not only extremely well equipped but also quite refined, to be befitting the rank of those treated there. But regardless, each of the three people present would much rather be right by Kaname's door than on some fancy couch in a room away.

Normally, there would be guards to prevent any danger to a wounded pureblood, but Cain and Aidou _were_ Kaname's personal guard -even though nowadays the pureblood didn't call upon them for that as much as he did back in academy days- and as such, the hospital's guards were dismissed. The two cousins very much intended to stay there until Kaname was ready to leave the hospital, and they would guard his door like Kerberos at the gates of Hades, not letting anything or anyone pass –save of course for the necessary personnel.

Kaname was breathing shallowly, lips parted to get more air, gaze lost on the ceiling, lost in thought, mustering his will for what he would have to do next.

Yuuki walked up to the bed looking contrite and expectant, still unsure of what to say and waiting for him instead.

Once more, Kaname's words surprised her.

"Yuuki… I hope you're not expecting me to do a great altruistic gesture and tell you that I would give up on you so that you may be with him. There's no way I could possibly do that."

_There are limits to altruism, even done out of love. Or perhaps especially done out of love._

She stared at his pained face, not sure how to respond. Contrary to what he may have feared, she hadn't been expecting him to do anything of the sort, but hearing him say it made her feel guiltier, at the idea that her behavior had pushed him so far that it caused him to think that was what she had wanted.

She parted her lips to speak, but Kaname continued before she could say anything.

"I… I can't do such a thing. I need you more than I need life. But if it's him that you want, if you no longer want me by your side…if… if you plan to cast me away…."

His voice was shaking, distorted to the point of sounding almost husky, but it wasn't just the strain of the physical pain that was doing it.

Yuuki clutched the bar on the side of the bed, burning with guilt and shame but not allowing herself to speak until he was done. It wrenched her heart to see him so desperate.  
That pain too, would be part of her punishment. She sobbed, eyes filled with tears but kept open and focused on his pained expression as he went on and said the one thing she never expected to hear.

"Then, I have a last request… I want to die by your hand."

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_**Note about the thing with Kaname feeling bad for Zero in the past:**__ It's really there in the manga! XD  
The best example of it is when little Zero stabbed at Kaname the first time they met. As the chairman took Zero to his room, Kaname had nothing to gain and NO reason whatsoever to have told Yuuki that she shouldn't worry about his wounded wrist, but about Zero, because the boy was the one who was in a lot more pain… ;-;_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Title: The things you do to me.**_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.  
__**Warning: **__Angst. And spoilers to various chapters, especially 35.  
__(Please don't kill me, Yuuki fans? XD; I really like her too, and normally don't think she'd ever do this like that, (I don't think Zero would either, he's too honest for that) but... the evil plot-bunny demanded it, and there are distinct times where she does pretty cruel things to Kaname without noticing that she's hurting him, so...)  
_

_My ideal ship for VK would be if the trio could end up together in the manga, so that they can all be happy instead of one of the three inevitably being alone if Yuuki only picks one of them. So please no hating on either pairing in the reviews. ^^;  
_

_**Summary:**__ A few years after the academy, Kaname and Yuuki are happily married… Or are they? Zero still loves Yuuki, and Kaname is furious to suddenly realize something absolutely unthinkable has been going on right under his nose. Drama, short series._

_**Pairings:** Kaname x Yuuki, Zero x Yuuki._

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"_If you plan to cast me away…" Kaname's voice was shaking, distorted to the point of sounding almost husky, but it wasn't just the strain of the physical pain that was doing it._

_Yuuki clutched the bar on the side of the bed, burning with guilt and shame but not allowing herself to speak until he was done. It wrenched her heart to see him so desperate._

_That pain too, would be part of her punishment. She sobbed, eyes filled with tears but kept open and focused on his pained expression as he went on and said the one thing she never expected to hear._

"_Then, I have a last request… I want to die by your hand."_

The shock upon hearing his words was such that Yuuki lost her voice for a moment. She was still desperately clutching the bar on the side of the bed, but her hands felt completely numb and cold like the horrified shiver that ran up her spine. Her mouth opened and closed, no sound coming out, a silent exclamation of shock dying on her lips before any sound could be formed.

_What? __**What**__ had he just asked of her? She had pushed him __**that**__ far?_

"Ka…Kaname…" _Oh my God, what did I do to him….? _"No, oh no, Kaname… I… I could never… I _would_ never…"

But she couldn't order her thoughts enough to make any sense, and just went silent again, tears streaming down her face harder than before, violent sobs shaking her body and making it difficult for her to try to speak or even keep her eyes open.

At the face of her renewed silence, Kaname pushed further.

"Leaving me alive after having cast me away would be more cruelty than I think you capable of, my love. Or at least, that's what I would like to believe, although it's a little hard to have any hopes of mercy by now. However if I die by your hand, it will at least be less painful or unpleasant than it would be if you force me to do it myself or by other means."

Everything seemed to get to Yuuki through a filter, as if she was trapped under water and the sounds came through sounding muffled, impossibly unreal even as she saw Kaname's lips moving and heard each word.

_Kill him? 'Mercy'? And he would kill himself if I don't kill him? No! NO, NO!_

Her arms let go of the bedside bar and flew up to her sides, hugging herself and struggling as if to break out of the daze she was caught in, but all she managed was to choke on her tears and have a fit of coughing mixed with her sobs, chest heaving as she fought the choking to try and regain her voice, to try and call out to him.

Kaname somehow managed to hold back on the protective urge he automatically felt when he saw her coughing so hard. He suppressed the instincts that told him to comfort her and instead continued pushing further on. It wasn't enough yet. He had to go a little farther.

"If… If you can't do it by your hands, I suppose you could always have… Zero do it."

_No! What are you saying… Oh, Kaname!_

She was no longer choking, but she was still out of breath, and much more importantly, the things he said and the idea that he could be that desperate created a tight knot inside her, the guilt tearing at her so brutally that she still could not find her words. She clung onto his bedside again, crumbling under the weight of it all, his pain echoing into her more real than ever as she realized more and more what she had caused. She sobbed hard, dropping her forehead onto the mattress, her delicate frame convulsing with the sheer strength of the despair racking her body.

A soft warmth touched her cheek. He was trying to wipe her tears away, but the pain made his movement clumsy and slow.

"Don't cry Yuuki… I'll always love you, you know… nothing you ever do to me would stop that. I told you before, a long time ago, when I confessed my love for the first time."

She held onto his hand like there was no tomorrow, clinging to it and pressing it against her face, sobbing against it until she finally managed to gather herself and voice what she had been trying so hard to say.

"Kaname, I don't deserve your love! I don't deserve either of you!"

He just shook his head softly, denying it with a look of deep sadness.

"No Yuuki… I'm the one who failed you." He sighed painfully, head lolling to the side on the pillow, looking away to avoid her eyes as he continued, voice straining even further at the horrible confession of his assumed inadequacies "If I had been good enough, you wouldn't have gone for someone else. I wasn't… enough. And I didn't even know it, too drunk with happiness and blinded by it. I… I failed you, and I don't even know how or when."

Yuuki's mind was reeling, and she couldn't stand anymore, her knees weak from wave after wave of blinding despair. She held his hand between hers tightly, pressing her forehead onto the bed again, sobbing loudly.

"Ka…name… please stop this! What can I do for you to ever forgive me? Is it even possible that you will forgive me?"

_This._

_She finally understood._

Kaname's eyes had narrowed slightly, his gaze hardening for a second, and when Yuuki looked up, she saw a ghost of an ambiguous almost-smile on his lips.

Coming from Kaname and aimed at Yuuki, it would never be a cruel smile, but… there was something distinctively different in it, that strongly set it aside from the unguarded way he normally smiled at her. There was something very different in the air.

The turning point might have been when he had seen just how serious and determined to die Zero had been. Through the pain, through the fear of losing Yuuki and all the horror of her betrayal, somehow along the way, Kaname had stopped his fall into utter despair and found his footing again. He was the one in a position of power now. And he knew exactly the effect his words were having.

When their eyes met, she saw the confirmation of what she had come to understand.

_This would be her punishment. _

Kaname would never hurt her, never lift a finger against her physically or mentally. But his own pain and despair were the very best punishment for Yuuki, as the guilt ate her inside with the horrifying realization of just how far she had hurt him with her betrayal.

She was taken aback, not daring to even break contact with his eyes. She was both slightly afraid and absolutely relieved to see that perhaps there was a way out of the nightmare, and that maybe she didn't ruin it all to the point where Kaname wouldn't recover._ If he was able to look at her that way, then sooner or later, he would be okay. And even if he never forgave her, even if he threw her away as she felt she deserved, she would find solace from her suffering in the knowledge that he would eventually be whole again._

She was still clinging to his hand, determination in her eyes. She would take whatever punishment he saw fit.

"What should I do, Kaname? Just tell me and I'll do anything."

At that, Kaname cocked his head slightly and hesitated for a second, not because he hadn't planned his next question already, but because it was going to be a painful one to voice, even though he was convinced it was the only solution that would truly make things work.

Yuuki did need punishment, but above all else, Kaname only wanted her happiness. He could never be happy himself if she wasn't happy.

And so, he cast pride and vengefulness aside and told her his decision, to which they _would_ stick, no matter how much she was taken aback and worried when she heard it.

_Three months later…_

Two toasts popped up, light-brown and smelling deliciously tempting to the sensitive senses of the two hungry vampires wanting to get breakfast.

Kaname reached to take the one closest to him, and his fingers brushed lightly against another hand that had moved for the same toast on same time.

Both hands made a hasty retreat, and pureblood and hunter eyed each other quickly.

"Sorry, you go first, Kaname." Zero looked much more embarrassed than anyone normally did over toast, but then, he had a tendency to look that way whenever he worried that he might have invaded Kaname's personal space.

The pureblood didn't comment, and pulled one of the toasts out, setting it down on his plate before spreading his favorite imported _p__êche-de-vigne_ preserves on it, grabbing a cup of coffee and moving into the nearby dining room. Meanwhile, Zero slated the second toast with his own choice of topping –today it was a thick acacia honey- and poured himself a cup of juice before following him.

The sunset colored the wall of the dining room with beautiful hues of pinkish orange and purple as night approached. The two vampires ate peacefully, the silence occasionally interrupted by small talk about their schedule and plans for the night. Kaname was surprised to find Zero particularly sociable that evening, talkative and initiating conversation more often than he normally did. For several weeks after Zero had moved in, he behaved like a rock on a china shelf, out-of-place and wary of his every movement and of the pureblood's sensibilities, waiting for Kaname to speak first and trying to stay out of his way as much as possible. It had gotten to the point that it was strongly bothering Kaname, so the progressive change into a more relaxed behavior was rather welcome.

Now that the hunter was finally starting to open up a little bit, the pureblood more and more often found - with surprise- that Zero was a much more pleasant company than he had expected. They were making considerable progress, getting to the point where they could pleasantly converse and smile almost normally, even while sitting at the smaller table they used for breakfast, and where the closer proximity made things slightly more difficult.

Zero had even stopped doing that thing he did when both went for a door on same time and he retreated instantly to let Kaname pass first. Much as it may stroke the pureblood's pride, it also annoyed him.  
But then, Kaname had issues himself, and was still working on dropping the instinctive death glare he automatically put on each of the rare times he found Zero on the bed before him.

The hunter was bringing refills of juice and coffee for them from the kitchen when they heard the front door closing, before Yuuki's musical voice chimed in.

"Sorry I took so long, guys! I had to special order it because they don't make those this late in the day, the shop was almost closing."

She tossed on a chair her coat and handbag and made her way towards the two, setting a pastry shop box down on the table and taking her seat between them.

She opened the box and pushed it towards the center of the table, addressing a shy smile to each of them. "Croissants, anyone?"

Zero politely refused, being already on his second toast, and Kaname had a bite of the croissant Yuuki was eating.

They were now living mostly in vampire hours. Two days a week all three would switch to human schedule for the sake of Yuuki's –and in part, Zero's— love for sunlight, but the rest of the time they stuck to the night. Zero's schedule as a hunter made that day or night didn't matter much, and being up by night rather than by day made Kaname's life remarkably easier, so Yuuki and Zero readily adjusted to his schedule.

They had been living together ever since the day Kaname came out of the hospital.

Even though Yuuki had been deadly afraid that it would have tragic results and Zero had kept insisting that it was absolutely impossible for him to accept the idea, both had conformed to Kaname's decision and obeyed, Zero moving into their apartment and all three struggling to get used to life as a trio rather than a couple. Or as a double couple more than a trio, since both males very much orbited around Yuuki while somewhat ignoring each other whenever possible.

Everyday life was far from easy, but little by little, all three were adapting, despite initial reticences and difficulties each of them had, especially when it came to the idea of sleeping in the same bed – Yuuki was convinced that one day, tragedy would strike as one or the other rolled around and brushed against the other while putting an arm over her or something. But it didn't happen, each just occupying one side of the bed with Yuuki in between them like a frontier separating two countries - while clinging onto the hope that no war between them would start.

With the three peacefully having breakfast together like this, Yuuki finally had hope that it would all be okay and that all three of them could find happiness without having to ever rely on lies again.

Wherever there was love, there was hope. She loved them with all her heart, and was loved back the same way, so perhaps now they were all on the right path.

And who knows, maybe one day they would be even more than just two guys sharing the same girl... Yuuki was surprised and amused one evening when she had caught an admiring look on Zero's face as the hunter watched Kaname getting dressed, his gaze lingering a moment too long on the pureblood's chiseled backside, which happened to be very naked at that moment.

She could relate very well to the feeling she saw in his eyes...

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x-X-x The End x-X-x

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Unexpected happy end? XD;; lol

Sorry if it didn't live up to expectations? XD;;

Also, I wanted to put a hint of possible threesome future in it, but didn't want to make it blatant since this one wasn't a yaoi fic, but well, it's there a little. I don't think it's possible to live under the same roof than Kaname –sharing Yuuki or not—and not feel certain temptations regardless of the sexual orientation Zero believes he has. LOL XD


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